Aerial vessel



R. C J RIMMEFL' "AERIAL VESSEL.

APPLICATION FILED 0CT.' l8, I920- RENEWED MAR. 31.19 22.

L fiwn Y Patented Oct. 117, 11922.

' s SHEETSSHEEI l.

R. C. RIMMER.

AERIAL VESSEL.

APPLICATION FILED 0cT.18. 1920. RENEWED MAR; 31.1922.

1,4L32,209 Pimmtedl Oct. 17, 1922.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

,I922L Eatented Oct SHEET 3.

3 SHEETS Patented @ct. 11?, 192i UhlllTfdlll hddiifillt ROBERT C. RIMMER, OF CARROLLTON, MISSOURI, ASSIGNOB, BY DIRECT AND MESNE ASSIGNMENTS, TO ROBERT C. RIMMER, HENRY O. KELTNER, AND ORA SHERWOOD,

TRUSTEES.

AERIAL VESSEL.

Application filed October 18, 1920, Serial No. 417,738. Renewed March 31, 1922. Serial No. 548,443.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, ROBERT C. RIMMER, a citizen of the United States, and resident of Carrollton, in the county of Carroll and State of Missouri, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Aerial Vessels, of which the following is a complete specification. I

This invention relates to aerial vessels of the heavier-than-air type and my object is to produce a vessel of this character capable of ascending and descending vertically or substantially vertically. A further object is to produce a vessel of this character of simple, strong, durable and comparatively inexpensive construction.

More specifically, the invention consists of a vessel provided with a series of planes bodily rotatable around a common axis, and collectively adjustable to impart lifting or descending movement, and to apply a back thrust and thus effect forward travel in the air.

lVith the objects mentioned in view, the invention consists in certain novel and useful features of construction and combinations of parts as hereinafter described and claimed; and in order that it may be fully understood reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1, is front view of an aerial vessel embodying the invention.

Figure 2, is a vertical section taken on the line IIII of Figure 1.

Figure 3, is a section taken on the line IIIIII of Figure 2.

Figure d, is a section taken IVIV of Figure 3.

on the line Figure 5, is section taken on the line VV of F igure at. v

Figure 6, is a section taken on the line VI-VI of Figure 3,

In the said drawings, where like'reference characters identify corresponding parts in all of the Figures, 1 indicates a pair of triangular skeleton frames equipped at the lower corners with ground wheels 2, and connected rigidly together near their lower ends by cross braces or rods 3. A transverse shaft or axle 4 is ournaled in said frames at their upper end or apices, and constitutes the axle or shaft of a rotary wheel or frame constructed as follows: I

,5 indicates a pair of skeleton wheel. meme hers rigidly secured on the axle between the frames 11, and said wheels 5 are rigidly connected together by cross braces or rods 6 located adjacent the outer ends of the spokes of said wheels, the latter preferably being formed with projecting portions 7, to which the cross braces or rods are directly secured, and in which are journaled hinge rods 8 disposed adjacent to and parallel with the brace rods 6. j The hinge rods 8 constitute the hinges of a series of swinging planes 9 disposed between the wheel members 5, and fastened to the side bars of the planes 9 are arms 10 connected by rods 11 and forming in conjunction with the sides of said planes, a se ries of guide slots 12.

' Secured rigidly to the wheels 5 near the outer ends of the spokes, are bearings 13 in which are journaled rock shafts 1 1, having arms 15 engaging the slots 12 of the adjacent planes, and oppositelyprojecting arms, 16 pivotally connected to the outer ends of the rods or arms 17 of a series of eccentric rings 18 mounted upon a flanged eccentric 19 secured upon a sleeve or hollow shaft 20 journaled on shaft or axle 4C. The tubular sha t or sleeve 20 is equipped at its inner end with a toothed wheel or pinion 21, engaged by a latch mechanism 22 mounted upon the side of a car or fuselage 23 suspended by means of a frame 24 from axle 4-. The latch of said mechanism is actuated by a spring 25 and. is engaged for retraction purposes, by the crank-end of a shaft 26 journaled in a bearing bracket 27 carried by. the car, the arrangement being such that a half revolution imparted to shaft 26 will withdraw the latch from engagement with wheel 21, or DQ111111] the spring to restore engagement between said latch and said wheel. Under ordinary conditions, such as flight condicar. The gear wheel 29 is provided with a cone engaging a conical sleeve and comprises with the latter, a clutch mechanism. the sleeve member of which is journaled on shaft {t and slides thereon into and out of engagement withjthe "cone" rigid with the said gear wheel. Any suitable lever is provided for shifting said sleeve member into and out of engagement with the other mei'n ber,,any suitable latch mechanism such as that shown at 32, engaging the sector 33 on the ear to secure the clutch members in or out of engagement. The car or fuselage is provided with a rudder for steering the machine to the right O1,tl18 left, as indicated at 34., and said rudder is provided with a handle 35for manual or other operation and controlledinany' suitable or preferred manner, it being understood that the driver will occupy a position in or onthe cjarwhere the handle of the rudder and-the control lever and shaft 26 are conveniently accessible. A gear wheel 36 is mounted on shaft 4; near one end thereof, and is engaged by a spring-actuated pawl 37 mounted on the adjacent frame 1.

With the parts in the position shown most clearly in Figure 2, it will be under stood that the clutch'm echanism described is holding the car, if the load thereon is heavier at the rear than at the front, in the position shown, that is substantiallyhorizontally. As the engine is started it imparts rotation to gear wheel 29 in the direction indicated by the adjacent arrow, Figure 2 and thus imparts rotation to the shaft 4 in the same direction. As this rotation of the shaft tends to impart circular travel to the car in the same direction through the frictional engagement of the clutch members. the controlling lever of the latter is manipulated to reduce friction so that the car shall be maintained in a substantially horizontal position, some friction being desirable in order to guard against the rear end of the car swinging downward. It will also be understood that the shaft l in turningis not interfered with by the pawl 37, but that the latter will prevent any back rotation should the engine stop in flight or the machine be standing on the ground.

Assuming that the operation of the shaft as described imparts rotation to the wheel member in the direction indicated by the arrow adjacent thereto (see Figure '2), it will be seen that the two topmost planes and the two foremost planes in their circular travel. exert force tending lift the machine from the ground. It will also be noticed that the plane directly undei' the shaft 4'h'as a slight tendency to resist this upward movement, that the plane forward of the last nalmed plane tends topropel the machine; (forward by ,its rearward thrust against the air, and that the planes rearward of the said plane below the shaft, tend to exert an upward and rearward thrust on the air and thus assist in elevating the weight forward of the shaft, and that the remaining or rearmost plane is practically functionless in the position shown. It will be understoodthat as theeccentricis stationary, the rotation of the" plane'around. the shaft 4, is accompanied by vibratory or swinging movement transmitted from said eccentric to the rock shaft 14- to the plane and that at all timesas long as the wheel members are rotating in the direction mentioned,'there is a preponderating application of force tending to lift the machine, and in practice with a small model, the arrangement of planes and the movement thereof actuated vby an eccentric, has proved-successful. After the machine has ascended the requisitedistance, the operator manipulates both shaft 26 to withdraw the latch 22 from engagement with wheel 21, and at the same time through the medium of a lever 38 ef' fect rotative adjustment of the eccentric in a downward and forward directiontfor the purpose of'so setting the planes that they shall exert a greater thrust in arearward direction than before and thus impart forward travel to the machine, itbeingunderstood that in this adjustment the planes are so set that the preponderating force exerted by them is rearward and that'a sufficient number of the planes always occupy the proper position to support the ma chine in the air. \Vith the plane arranged as shown with the axis of the eccentric be low the axis of shaft 4:, the planes are set to impart upward and forward movement to the machine. When the eccentric is set-with its axis in the same horizontal plane as shaft 4 and forward of the latter, the planes are adjusted to effect an almost vertical upward or downward travel, of the machine. It will thus be seen that the lower the axis of the eccentric is set, the greater is the speed developed b the machine in the forward direction. t will also be understood that to effect adescent. the axis of'the eccentric must be raised abovethe plane of the shaft f, and that as such adjustment is increased the descent more nearly appreaches the vertical. It willbe apparent of course that experience-will dictate the best adjustment ofthe planes and of the eccentric, and thatthe machine can be ope-r ated at low speed 'as compared with the ordinary type of aeroplanes which must travel at a high rate-of speed at all times. From the above description it-will be apparent that Ihave produced an aerial vessel embodying the features of advantage set l lj0 forth as desirable in the statement of the I object of the invention, and which obviously may be modified in minor'particula'rswith out r'leparting from the vprii'icip le of con struction and mode of operation involved, and without departing from the spirit and scope of the appended claims.

I claim:

1. An aeroplane comprising a framework, a horizontal shaft journaled in said framework, a wheel. frame secured on said shaft, an eccentric supported from the shaft, a serries of planes pivotally carried by the wheel frame, a corresponding series of rings journaled on the eccentric, and provided with rods projecting radially outward from the eccentric, and a corresponding series of rock shafts journaled on the wheel frame and pivotally connected to said rods, and having pin-and-slot connections with the said planes for imparting swinging movement thereto.

2. An aeroplane comprising a frame work, a horizontal shaft journaled in said framework, a wheel frame secured on said shaft, an eccentric supported from the shaft, a series of planes pivotally carried by the wheel frame, a corresponding series of rings journaled on the eccentric, and provided with rods projecting radially outward from the eccentric, a corresponding series of rock shafts journaled on the wheel frame and pivotally connected to said rods, and having pin-and-slot connections with the said planes for imparting Swinging movement thereto, and means for adjusting the eccentric relative to the axis of said shaft.

3. An aeroplane comprising a suitable framework, a horizontal shaft journaled in said framework, a wheel frame secured on said shaft, an eccentric supported from the shaft, a series of planes pivotally carried by the wheel frame, means actuated by rotation of the wheel for causing the eccentric to impart swinging movement to the planes,

a car suspended from the shaft, and means for creating a frictional relation between the car and the shaft.

4. An aeroplane comprising a framework, a horizontal shaft journaled in said framework, a wheel frame secured on said shaft, an eccentric supported from the shaft, a series of planes pivotally carried by the wheel frame, means actuated by rotation of the wheel frame, for causing the eccentric to impart swinging movement to the plane, and a friction clutch mechanism for estab lishing a frictional relation between the car and shaft.

5. An aeroplane comprising a framework, a horizontal shaft journaled in said. framework, a wheel frame secured. on said shaft, an eccentric supported from the shaft, a series of planes pivotally carried by the wheel frame, means actuated by rotation of the wheel frame, for causing the eccentric to impart swinging movement to the plane, a car suspended from the shaft, means for creating a frictional relation between the car and the shaft, and means for locking the car in fixed relation to the said eccentric.

6. An aeroplane comprising a framework, a horizontal shaft journaled in said framework, a wheel frame secured on said shaft, an eccentric supported from the shaft, a series of planes pivotally carried by the wheel frame, means actuated by rotation of the wheel frame for causing the eccentric to impart swinging movement to the planes, a car suspended from the shaft, means for creating frictional relation between the car and the shaft, means for locking the car in fixed relation to the said eccentric, and means for rotatably adjusting the eccentric relative to the said shaft.

ROBERT C. RIMMER. 

